I am back and want to share food allergy scare

[Panina]

I have been away from TUG for awhile to to a health scare. I decided to share so others can understand how important it is to take food allergies seriously not only for themselves if necessary but for others they might be serving.

I went away to a health retreat that told me they can handle my gluten intolerance. I get very sick when I eat gluten. The retreat told me they have a special menu and have had others prior.

Within two days I was glutenized. I knew within two minutes. My head started hurting, I got dizzy and my stomach started bloating and hurting. The chef came out and told me my meal was free of gluten. He started listing what was in my meal and one of the ingredients he used had gluten in it. Initially insisted it was gluten free but went to the kitchen looked at he ingredient list and saw wheat was in it. I was sick in my room 2 days.

I should have left but the CEO told me it would never happen again. Fast forward a few weeks and I get very sick again, this time with heart palpitations that just continued. I know gluten was in my food again as I had all the other symptoms too. I never got glutenized twice in such a short time. Usually it can be years apart. I left immediately, went to my doctor and a cardiologist. My initial blood test wasn’t good and I had to go for many heart tests.

My doctor thought all of my symptoms were due to the ingestion of gluten but didn’t want to take any chances so all the testing continued. She instructed me not to eat out, and make sure I prepare all my food for a few months.

After two weeks my blood was back to normal, and now a month later the heart tests came back good.

I have gotten sick before in restaurants, friends homes, relative gatherings, etc. Most times including at this retreat I was told “ we didn’t realize you were so sensitive”, which shows a lack of education towards food allergies.

There are many food allergies people have, some cam be deadly. If you know someone who has one, please take it seriously and if you can’t accommodate them, offer them to bring their own food. If you have an allergy take it seriously. I usually do but didn’t this time and it was frightening.

 

[DRIless]

Allergies are serious business! I've flat lined three times because of allergies, luckily not food allergies where your best friend could slip you a mickey.

The phrase seems to have originated sometime in the 1890s, taken from the name of a bartender at the Lone Star Saloon and Palm Garden in Chicago at the turn of the last century. His establishment was of low repute, and reportedly he slipped Mickey Finns into customers' drinks in order to rob them.

 

[klpca]

I'm so sorry that you went through that. Unfortunately for you, gluten intolerance seems to run the gamut from celiac to "I can have some". We have about 5 in our lives and it's pretty confusing for the cook (me), especially when I take pains in preparation only to see them having beer at a party! I have thrown in the towel, let them know what I am serving, try to have some gf options and invite them to bring things along that they would like to enjoy. I have a tremendous problem with dairy so I understand, although my only manifestation is severe GI issues for a day or two. I'm pretty good at spotting my problem foods (milk, ice cream, sour cream, yogurt, whipped cream, cream cheese etc) but I almost always have some non-dairy foods to choose from. Veggies and fruits are my go-to's.

 

[VacationForever]

Thanks for sharing. I am very sorry with what you went through. I totally get it that the ignorance regarding gluten in the food service industry is rampant and dangerous. I am also gluten intolerant but fortunately non-Celiac. For me, I can tolerate a very small amount of gluten by itself but not when eaten in combination of food items listed in FODMAP. I get very ill when eaten in combination. Sugar alcohol has similar effects where I get very ill.

 

[Luanne]

I am so sorry you went through this. I hope the retreat compensated you.

 

[pedro47]

Panina, just because a chef say it is gluten free is not alway true. Another person in the kitchen could add an ingredient to a dish unknowning to the chef.

Panina, please take care of yourself. Praying you are feeling must better today.

 

[tschwa2]

My 17 year old son has a shell fish allergy. He knows what to avoid (eating, touching, breathing in steam from cooking, etc). He hasn't had a bad reaction since he was about 5. He has an epipen which is fairly expensive these days and has a 1 year shelf life. We talked to the doctor a few years back about not renewing the prescription because of yearly buying, and then a year later throwing away $100+ device. She said don't do it because you won't need it until you NEED it and if you don't have it, it can be too late.

 

[jackio]

Wow, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I am a school nurse in a school district that takes food allergies very seriously. However we find that staff members and some parents don't give it the same concern and care that we do.
Knowledge is the key. Thank you for sharing and I am glad you are feeling better.

 

[WinniWoman]

Very sorry this happened, but glad you are well again.

I had a coworker who was allergic to tuna fish and she could not even smell it. So if anyone had a tuna fish sandwich for lunch we had to make sure she knew to stay out of the lunch room that day.

Food allergies are real and can be very dangerous.

 

[DrQ]

Panina, I'm glad you are recovering. I think that there is a lot of confusion within the industry as to what constitutes "gluten free", since other grains can produce gluten, just steering away from wheat is not sufficient. Many restaurants will show "gluten free" on a menu item, but unless strict precautions against cross contamination are followed, it is just marketing.

What really gets me is watching MasterChef Junior where a minor child has a shellfish allergy and is put in a situation where they are handling and preparing shellfish. That is unconscionable both on the part of the parents and the production company, even IF medical attention is available on set. If an adult wishes to to take that risk, I have no issue, but I do with children.

 

[VacationForever]

Panina, I'm glad you are recovering. I think that there is a lot of confusion within the industry as to what constitutes "gluten free", since other grains can produce gluten, just steering away from wheat is not sufficient. Many restaurants will show "gluten free" on a menu item, but unless strict precautions against cross contamination are followed, it is just marketing.

What really gets me is watching MasterChef Junior where a minor child has a shellfish allergy and is put in a situation where they are handling and preparing shellfish. That is unconscionable both on the part of the parents and the production company, even IF medical attention is available on set. If an adult wishes to to take that risk, I have no issue, but I do with children.

To be gluten-free, it must not include more than 20 parts per million of wheat, barley and rye - not just wheat.

The ignorance that we commonly encounter include bizzare understanding like
- There is no meat in it and it is all vegetarian so it is gluten-free.
- There is no rice in it, so it is gluten-free
...

 

[DrQ]

To be gluten-free, it must not include more than 20 parts per million of wheat, barley and rye - not just wheat.

The ignorance that we commonly encounter include bizzare understanding like
- There is no meat in it and it is all vegetarian so it is gluten-free.
- There is no rice in it, so it is gluten-free
...

Exactly ... I could not take this responsibility. Our kitchen is not allergen free AND we do not have the proper training. I also make sure that I specify that any food I offer in any situation is not allergen free.

 

[silentg]

My daughter suffers from food allergies too. I spend lot of time reading labels in the store.
We try to eat organic and fresh vegetables. She has other health issues too, causes me to worry.
Glad you are feeling better, if you don’t have food allergies or know someone who does, it’s hard to understand how dangerous they can be.
Silentg

 

[bluehende]

Glad to hear everything is ok. It is terrible to hear these stories about our TUG family.

 

[Panina]

I am so sorry you went through this. I hope the retreat compensated you.

No, they didn’t offer and I haven’t asked as my guess is they would offer something towards a future stay. Too bad this happened because I actually otherwise loved this place.